


what's in a name?

by muniakafanficwritingtrash101



Category: Gugudan (Band), PRISTIN (Band), other artists are mentioned
Genre: Alternate Universe - Teachers, F/F, Fortune Tellings, same name
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2017-09-10
Packaged: 2018-12-26 06:52:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12053619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/muniakafanficwritingtrash101/pseuds/muniakafanficwritingtrash101
Summary: Kim Nayoung knew that fortune tellers can't really see the future, but her friend Mimi drags her to one anyway. The woman tells Kim Nayoung her soulmate is also Nayoung, and Kim Nayoung is even less convinced. But what happens when she bumps into a cute woman who is also named Nayoung?





	what's in a name?

**Author's Note:**

> I refer to gugudan's Nayoung as Kim Nayoung the whole fic and Pristin's Nayoung as Im Nayoung to avoid confusion

Kim Nayoung shouldn’t have expected anything less from the mischievous, always scheming Jung Mimi. The day she met her in middle school, she rigged the entrance to the teacher’s lounge to pour a bucket of cold water on her least favourite teacher. Even though she’s working as a divorce lawyer, Mimi never ceased to drag her friends into her many hijinks. However, that day, she’s as serious as she was in the courtroom.

 

“Today I’m taking you to a fortune teller who’ll tell you the name of your future partner!” Mimi exclaimed when she opened the door to Kim Nayoung’s apartment (she really regrets giving Mimi a spare key).

 

“Don’t you have Bora to bother or something?” Kim Nayoung replied from her bedroom. When Mimi entered the apartment, Kim Nayoung had just exited the shower and was in the process of changing. She was originally going to put on a pair of sweatpants and a DBSK t-shirt from when she was in high school, but had to change into an outfit she could wear in public.

 

Mimi then clarified, “Bora’s working today, remember?” Shin Bora, Mimi’s girlfriend, didn’t usually work on weekends, but due to a coworker falling sick, the hospital she worked at needed another nurse to work that shift. “Besides, you kinda need help with your love life. Remember that boyfriend you had first year of university?”

 

“Okay, he did cheat on me. But that was once!”

 

“What about that girl you tried to ask out?”

 

“It’s not my fault that she asked out another girl the day I wanted to ask her!”

 

“Once when you tried to ask a classmate to the movies, they-”

 

“I get it at this point, Mimi.” Kim Nayoung interrupted dejectedly. “It doesn’t help that everyone else except me is in a happy relationship. Even Xiening, who came to Korea one and a half years ago, is really cute with Sojin.”

 

“The fortune teller will help you! Come on, your appointment is in 20 minutes,” Mimi reasoned, as she had Kim Nayoung put on her shoes. 

 

“But aren’t fortune tellers just people who rub a ball and tell you things that apply to everyone? How would going to one help me?” Kim Nayoung questioned, hesitantly tying her sneakers.

 

“You’ll see!” was all she heard as Mimi literally pushed her out of the door and locked it behind Kim Nayoung.

 

Mimi drove the two of them to a smaller residential area, and led Kim Nayoung to a house with a sign. When the two girls knocked and was let in, Nayoung was looking around. It didn't look too sketchy. Mimi talked to a small woman about the appointment (she arranged the appointment under Kim Nayoung’s name).

 

They were led by a small woman to a living room furnished with cushions in multiple shades of purple and black. The woman made small talk, and introduced herself as Madam Foster. The three women sat down on a couple of cushions, Madam Foster across from Mimi and Kim Nayoung. 

 

Kim Nayoung was a little nervous. If this is real, what if the lady tells her something along the lines of ‘oh, you don't have a soulmate and you’ll die alone’?

 

After a palm reading, tarot cards and Madam Foster focusing on her crystal ball, Kim Nayoung becomes slightly more anxious to hear the result of the session. Mimi softly reassures her, telling her that she has no need to worry. Madam Foster then appears to have a look of surprise. 

 

“I haven’t seen a result such as this in twenty years,” she uttered softly. “Your soulmate is very intelligent, and she is a natural leader. She may seem intimidating to some, but she has a heart of gold and would always put others before her.”

 

Kim Nayoung listened intently. “That sounds amazing. But what’s surprising about that?” she questioned skeptically.

 

“Miss Nayoung, that is not what surprised me. Your soulmate shares your first name.”

 

Kim Nayoung could feel the regret as if it was a black shadow slowly engulfing her from the bottom up. She should’ve known. She should’ve been more careful, should’ve avoided-

 

“Naong? Naongie, it’s time to pay, we have to go,” Mimi said sharply. She used Kim Nayoung’s nickname even, so the latter knew that must’ve meant that she spaced out. 

 

Kim Nayoung offered to pay for the fortune teller, but Mimi insisted that she should pay instead. Kim Nayoung knew that the older woman usually did her best to get out of paying for things (Kim Nayoung commended Bora for dealing with that for so long) so she knew that Mimi probably felt bad for Kim Nayoung for taking her.

 

The pair arrived at Mimi’s car, and the two stepped in. Once Mimi started to drive, Kim Nayoung started to worry.

 

“Did you waste your money there? I got _my_ _own name_ so that means I’m pretty much screwed. What if that was a scam and she just got lazy coming up with names and she chose mine? Oh my god, what if-”

 

“Naong.”

 

Mimi interrupted the younger woman’s nervous rambling. “Have faith. This woman helped me find the courage to ask out Bora, so maybe she might help you.”

 

Kim Nayoung calmed down a tiny bit, and Mimi drived her home, with plans to go watch a movie soon. (“The new Spiderman movie has been out for a bit, and I hear it’s great!”)

* * *

 

_ Relax, Nayoung. It’s only time to prepare your classroom. Are you going to do this the first day? _

 

Kim Nayoung put together an outfit that looked like how a seventh grade teacher should look like. It was a week before the students’ first day at the middle school Kim Nayoung would be working at for the first time. The teachers were told to come in a week in advance to prepare their classroom and go over their seating plans and the material for the first two weeks. The new staff also have a chance to learn the layout of the school and to meet their coworkers.

 

Kim Nayoung’s classroom was thankfully not too far from the main entrance, according to the map of the school. It was just down the first hallway and up the stairs to the second floor. Kim Nayoung believed that she wouldn't have a problem getting to her class, despite the backpack full of posters, maps and her folder containing the seating plan, the class list, and her first week of lesson plans. 

 

She couldn’t have been more wrong. Once Kim Nayoung reached the door to the stairwell, all she saw was a woman speed walking towards her before she fell flat on her butt. 

 

Kim Nayoung noticed the eighth grade math textbooks that were scattered around her and immediately began to pick up as many as she saw. As she was doing so, she glanced up to find out who she bumped into. The quick glance transformed into a stare as Kim Nayoung studied the appearance of the woman in front of her. Kim Nayoung never remembered any other time that she was this breathless.

 

The other woman was absolutely beautiful. She looked about Kim Nayoung’s age. She had a very pretty face, and the round glasses she wore just added to the overall cuteness. Kim Nayoung watched as the lady picked up the other textbooks Kim Nayoung couldn’t collect. Afterwards, the lady looked up, straight into Kim Nayoung’s eyes. The two women stayed that way for a couple seconds, before the woman broke the silence.

 

“Are you okay? I’m sorry about bumping into you like that,” the woman said worriedly, and Kim Nayoung couldn’t believe that such a beautiful woman with such a nice voice was talking to her. Kim Nayoung broke out of her trance, and replied to the lady.

 

“No, no, don’t apologize! I should’ve watched where I was going, especially when seeing someone carrying all these heavy books,” Kim Nayoung replied frantically. “I’m sorry about that.”

 

“It’s fine, don’t worry! I’m Im Nayoung, and despite the books I’m carrying, I teach seventh graders,” she added with a small laugh. 

 

“I’m Kim Nayoung, I’m new here. We have the same name,” Kim Nayoung replied. “I teach the same grade.”   
  
“Well, it must be fate that we met then, Nayoung,” Im Nayoung replied with a smile. 

 

It all sunk in at that moment. The fortune teller that Mimi took her to told her about a woman with the same name as her. Did she just meet her soulmate? She shook off that thought.  _ There are many other Nayoungs in the world, stop bringing your hopes up you idiot.  _

 

“Where are you bringing these books? I can help you bring them there,” Kim Nayoung proposed.

“I’m bringing them to the staff room, because one of the eighth grade teachers, Hong Jisoo, needed these textbooks, and he asked for me to give them to him. We switched classrooms this year,” the math teacher replied. “I’ll show you around the school and introduce you to a few people.”

 

For the next couple hours, Im Nayoung shown Kim Nayoung where everything was in the school, and once they reached Kim Nayoung’s classroom, they discovered that Im Nayoung’s room was two doors down from hers. Kim Nayoung also learned that she was a couple months older than the other teacher. At the end of the day, the two teachers exchanged numbers, and Kim Nayoung walked home with a pep in her step. She never expected to have such a great time, and she was thankful for that.

 

Once she arrived at her apartment, she decided to consult someone who she can trust to be mature about her asking advice.

 

After changing into comfy clothes, Kim Nayoung’s phone vibrated from a bunch of text notifications. She turned on the phone, and the conversation with her nurse friend was displayed.

 

_ To  _ **_flower hana:_ ** _ help your gf took me to a fortune teller a couple months ago and she said that my true love is named nayoung and today i bumped into a cute coworker named nayoung what do i do _

_ She was so nice and she helped me around and i have her number now _

_ Am i going too fast boraaaaaa _

_ From  _ **_flower hana:_ ** _ wow _

_ i honestly think that u should get to know her better, and see if u still like her  _

_ There’s no use rushing into things _

_ Now please dont blow up my phone im on call and the hospital could call me any second now _

 

That sounded like a good idea to Kim Nayoung. She really should’ve gotten that advice when she was impatient with her other relationships. Maybe that’s why they all failed? Kim Nayoung really didn't know what she was doing.

* * *

 

Once wintertime rolled around, Kim Nayoung fell into a rhythm of going to work, going out with her non-work friends, spending nights marking tests and projects, and spending time with one cute teacher who has her name (and her heart, Kim Nayoung sighed as she finished up with the last of her marking). Im Nayoung liking her back sounded too good to be true, so Kim Nayoung tried her best to be the best friend to the other woman that she could be.

 

One winter morning, after trying her best to shake off the snow that got caught in her boots, Kim Nayoung stepped into the staff room to a tight circle of teachers discussing something that sounded important enough to be spoken in hushed whispers instead of the usual indoor tone of speaking. 

 

For a moment, a couple of the teachers seemed to be surprised and others seemed to pale. However, the wave of relief is almost tangible when the staff realized that it wasn't the Nayoung they were talking about. 

 

“What are you guys talking about?” Kim Nayoung asked nervously.

 

A smaller woman, one she recognized as Choi Yoojung the sixth grade music teacher, answered the older woman’s question cheerfully. “Well, it’s Nayoung-unnie’s birthday in two weeks, and we’re talking about throwing a surprise staff party, and bringing over some of her friends outside of work!” 

 

Kim Nayoung thought back to the day she met the younger Nayoung. They shared birthdays to figure out who’s older. 

 

She joined the conversation discussing possible presents and how to bring Im Nayoung to her surprise party.

 

Once she gotten home, Kim Nayoung was tempted to turn to one of her friends who had more knowledge with relationships (read: can actually keep a relationship for more than a month) but instead she laid down on her bed and tried to plan out how she would distract Im Nayoung. 

 

The other teachers asked Kim Nayoung to do the job because in their words, ‘'if we didn't know you two, we would've thought you two were married or something” as they set up the staff room and get the food and presents ready. Kim Nayoung would keep her gift on her or give it to either Minkyung or Soonyoung to add it to the gift table. That meant that she had to give it to them early.

 

What kind of gift would make the most beautiful woman in the world feel delighted on her birthday? 

 

Kim Nayoung remembered the cozy book shop near her apartment. It was 6:30, so she could go there and pick up part of her present.

* * *

 

That evening, Kim Nayoung found a copy of a collection of Shakespeare poems and sonnets. Im Nayoung read many of his plays, but she had talked about wanting to read some of his other works. 

 

After buying the collection, Kim Nayoung laid her eyes on a stationary set. The papers and pens had designs which involved coffee, and was a caramel colour. She bought that too, because she would never forget that the first time she and the younger Nayoung went out on their own was at a café just like the one she was standing in. Kim Nayoung spilled her latte, being clumsy and all, but Im Nayoung just helped her clean it up and bought her a new coffee. 

 

If it was anyone else, they would have laughed at Kim Nayoung.

 

Once she took her new purchases home, along with some wrapping paper, Kim Nayoung settled in her bedroom desk chair. (It’s the comfy chair that spins, so Kim Nayoung feels the best on that chair.)

 

When she got the Shakespeare book, Kim Nayoung thought that it wasn't nearly enough to really show the gratitude and admiration the woman had for one Im Nayoung. When she found the stationary, she had an idea. A potentially disastrous idea, but one that would work.

 

She was going to write a love letter.

 

It sounded better in her head than in reality. Especially because she got stuck on the first line after ‘Dear Im Nayoung’. Does she talk about the present? Does she go straight into this or does she play cool and not talk about her feelings for the whole first paragraph? How do people do this?

 

It took her an hour, but Kim Nayoung finally began to write.

 

After a sore wrist and her bedside clock reminding her that she still had work tomorrow and if she wanted to be at the party and not look like she just been pulled out of Hell, she should probably go to sleep.

 

The woman fell into a slumber dreaming of flowers, stories and the one with Kim Nayoung’s heart in her hands.

* * *

 

The school day seemed to drag on, as today was the day that Kim Nayoung had to send three students to the office for acting out. To be completely fair, it didn't seem like a good idea to get into an argument about whether Coke or Pepsi was better when the class was having a discussion about the split of North and South Korea. 

 

As she was told she could, Kim Nayoung made sure to inform Soonyoung about keeping her gift until the party. She knew that the minute she left the room, they'd get curious, so she wanted to keep her present between her and Im Nayoung.

 

After the students were dismissed, Kim Nayoung wanted to quickly see the staffroom, and  _ damn, they did a pretty good job. _

 

The room was decorated with a wintery theme, and it doesn’t seem either overdone or underdone. The food was coming in then instead of earlier on, because they wanted the food to be as tasty as possible. Minkyung also invited some of Im Nayoung’s other friends, and she was introducing them to the staff. Once Kim Nayoung saw them, she felt a small heaviness in her heart. If Im Nayoung is already super close with such pretty people, why would she want someone like Kim Nayoung?

 

She talked and joked with them (she learned that their names were Jieqiong, Siyeon, Yebin and Eunwoo) and honestly, they were really cool. They planned to perform an original song of theirs for the party. After another fifteen minutes, Kim Nayoung set off to the park near Im Nayoung’s apartment, where the two planned to meet.

* * *

 

“Um, Naong-unnie, why are we back at school?” 

 

“Well, you’ll see pretty soon.” 

 

The time had come. Kim Nayoung was leading the birthday woman to the newly decorated teacher’s lounge. Of course, the younger woman was confused, as it was 6:30 on a Friday. Luckily for Kim Nayoung, the younger Nayoung trusted her enough to go with it.

  
  


Once the pair arrived at the teacher’s lounge, Im Nayoung followed Kim Nayoung’s request to close her eyes. Once Kim Nayoung opened the door and the others in the room exclaimed ‘Happy Birthday’, Im Nayoung opened her eyes, and Kim Nayoung discovered that the raw emotion in the younger woman’s eyes were more beautiful than any piece of art.

 

The party went smoother than planned. The food that Yunhyeong made for the party was delicious, the arts teachers did amazing with the decoration, the board game and movie choices were great, and Im Nayoung seemed to enjoy herself with her friends, both coworkers and not coworkers. It was, by far, the best way to spend a birthday, in Im Nayoung’s words.

 

When it came to presents, (which required two tables, as Im Nayoung always been well loved among the faculty) Im Nayoung decided to wait until everyone left to open them. The staff respected that, so after the party died down, the teacher’s lounge slowly emptied out. 

 

After a while, only the two Nayoungs stayed in the room. The energetic atmosphere had evolved into a more comfortable setting. The two women were sitting on the couch, talking about anything and everything. Once it became 9 p.m., Kim Nayoung started to become worried.  _ Oh no, Nayoung wanted to open her presents alone, what if I’m invading her privacy, or delaying her or- _

 

As if Im Nayoung could read the older Nayoung’s mind, she suggested, “Can you open the presents with me? I know it sounds weird, because of what I said earlier, but I feel comfortable with you around.”

 

“Of course I’ll stay with you,” Kim Nayoung agreed. She didn't say it out loud, but she felt a surge of happiness knowing that Im Nayoung trusted her.

 

The two women opened the presents and put the into the baskets the other teachers provided. Im Nayoung looked so happy opening each and every one, yet Kim Nayoung became nervous for when Im Nayoung would open her present.

 

Im Nayoung saved the older Nayoung’s present for last, so when it was time to open it, Kim Nayoung became slightly more worried. 

 

Im Nayoung gingerly tore open the red and purple wrapping paper, and anyone could have seen the way her eyes lit up when she read the title. “I’ve been looking for this book for ages! Thank you so much Naongie!” 

 

When Im Nayoung lifted the cover, a small decorated envelope slipped out, decorated with coffee and muffins. On the front, it had the words “for someone who knows how a coffee can bring people together”. After opening the envelope, Im Nayoung read the letter.

 

Kim Nayoung was so distracted with her nerves that she almost didn't notice her crush pinching herself while smiling the brightest, most breathtaking smile to ever exist. However, she did notice the pinching, and asked Im Nayoung why. 

 

“I just can't believe I'm not dreaming, and that the woman I love actually wants me too,” Im Nayoung replied softly.

 

The two of them (after Kim Nayoung asked) cuddled on the couch, Kim Nayoung never wanting to let go. Even when they brought the presents to Im Nayoung's home, they still held on to each other as if it was the final moments of their lives. Two women, connected by name, and by the heart. 

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the wonderful All My Ladies fic fest! to whoever the prompter is, I hope that you like this :D


End file.
